Missing Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos had told officials she was afraid of her estranged husband

The estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos and one other person were arrested and charged as police continue their search for the 50-year-old Connecticut mother of five who hasn't been seen for more than a week.

Posted: Jun 3, 2019 11:50 AM

Updated: Jun 3, 2019 11:50 AM

Posted By: By Christina Maxouris, CNN

Hundreds of people across Connecticut have packed vigils and churches hoping for the safe return of Jennifer Dulos.

But the 50-year-old Connecticut mother of five hasn't been seen for more than a week.

Dulos had been in a two-year-long custody battle with her estranged husband when she disappeared and had told officials she was afraid of him, according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate WTIC.

"I know that filing for divorce and filing this motion will enrage him," she said, according to the documents. "I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way."

She said her fear intensified after Fotis Dulos purchased a handgun in 2017 and said he had "revenge fantasies" about harming other people.

Fotis Dulos' attorney declined to comment when reached by WTIC late Thursday, the affiliate said.

Late Saturday, Fotis Dulos, 51, and Michelle Troconis, 44, were arrested and charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence and hindering prosecution, New Canaan police said.

Her friends reported her missing

Dulos was last seen on May 24, driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban in New Canaan, police said.

One friend last had contact with her earlier in the day, after Dulos dropped her children off at school, police said. The children are safe and well cared for, family spokeswoman Carrie Luft said.

Dulos' friends reported her missing about 7 p.m. that day, saying they hadn't heard from her in 10 hours and that she had missed several appointments.

Since then, the New Canaan Police Department with the help of Hartford Police and Fire Departments and Connecticut State Police have combed through areas in the state looking for the mother.

Fotis Dulos and Troconis are both being held on $500,000 bond. Both are scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on Monday morning.

Police have not said if they have found Jennifer Dulos.

'She would never, ever disappear'

In a Sunday vigil at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in New Canaan, Aaron Cooper, the head of New Canaan Country School, said the community is "heartbroken."

Cooper said Dulos' five children are "beloved members of our school community."

Those who know Jennifer Dulos, he said, "know her as an incredibly warm person, as an unbelievably devoted mother, as an active member of our community, supporting everything with her children, volunteering for everything."

"We stand together to support the children, and support the family they're with and to support our community," he said.

Besides being a devoted mother, Dulos was "an extremely thoughtful, reliable, and organized woman," a statement from Jennifer Dulos' family and friends to WTIC said.

"She would never, ever, disappear when she is responsible for the lives of five loving and energetic children," the statement said. "Jennifer is gentle, kind, intelligent, and funny, and above all she prioritizes the health and happiness of her children."

According to that statement, prior to living in New Canaan, Dulos and her family lived in Farmington, which is farther northeast.